Can I avaoid SDCentral

No. The only way to download the entire game is using SDC/Impulse.

Ok thanks. As long as SDCentral does not create another useless RAMconsumung service in the background I guess this has to be tolerated. I though I'd get a downloadable exe or something as a setup.

Nope, you start it if/when you want, otherwise you wont see it in the task manager.

SDC doesn't do any of the annoying rubbish things like Steam do, and it doesn't actually involve any DRM at all. It's just a delivery vector.

And really, everyone with an SD game needs to use it to buy Space Rangers 2.

Once you install Sins you don't ever have to use SDC again. You can launch Sins standalone from the Sins icon on the Start Menu (or Desktop, whatever).

Although I do recommend using SDC to get the patches. That works pretty well.

-HM

There is an advantage as well if you buy other games and migrate to another computer.

Once you have SDC up on a new machine, you get the option to dowmnload (or not) your other games.

I guess it like Steam in this respect but it's not bad at all as the others have said.

You can browse and d/l other demos, etc.

I'm someone who is highly vigilant about software products that 1) install services, 2) try to wedge themselves into my startup, 3) attempt sneak in any type of device driver without my knowledge. I can assure you that Stardock Central is as innocuous as they get. The only negatives are the relatively small amount of diskspace it consumes and its need to phone home when it starts up (which you can shut off). The products it installs stand on their own and have no dependency on SDC. There's really no reason to avoid it and it's pretty convenient to boot.

You have to have SDC installed and running to install the game. But once it is installed you do not have to have SDC running to play the game SP or MP. It's not steam.

Ok I installed SDC and Sins yesterday and it indeed works andsomely.

A different question: I have both a laptop and a deskop PC. I travel a lot (business and leasure) so I installed Sins on my laptop to have something on the road. I it possible (legally and technically) to install Sins on a second system? If so I'd install Sins on my destop too so I can enjoy better visuals and larger screen.

Yep, you can do that with no problems, technical or legal Just install SDC on your other PC, and download the game again.

Ok thanks, that's good to hear. But I assume that multimplayer between those two would not work. Or does it?

LAN games will, no idea about MP.

LAN can have 2 game instances per CD key, but online play with ICO needs a unique key per game instance.

You can also get it to work via Hamachi, but yes, you cannot use ICO with both computers at the *same* time. You can always log in with *either* computer at any given time though.

ICO? My intention was, that I'd love to invite my father over (he's slowly getting into rts games and I'd like to show him there's more than COH) and have a go with him. That would be local multiplayer in LAN then. That online is not possible, is clear, after all its the same serial.

ICO (Ironclad Online) is the built in online matchmaking service. But yes, what you describe will work just fine. Two networked computers can play with the same serial

I suspect on LAN that one can probably do as many PCs as one wants with one serial (not just the two), although I haven't seen anyone test this.

The Sins EULA specifically states that you can install on one PC and one spare PC owned by the person who bought the game. The program won't prevent you from doing more, and I suspect Stardock/Ironclad is ok with it as long as you don't go hog wild and install it in your entire dorm/apartment complex/neighborhood.

But regardless, you can't go on Ironclad Online with the same serial number more than once.

-HM

Nono, its just two systems here. Thanks for letting me know. Now Sins does look even better

Stardock has trust in its buyers: they expect that their paying customers won't take undue advantage of them, so they give us freedom that most other companies don't. It's rare, and why many people buy the game (plus others, like GalCiv and GalCiv2) that don't even PLAY it that much. People just like giving them money for doing the right thing.

And on top of that, you do in fact get a great game.

-HM

I bought the game first because I like the idea of combining 4x (I've been a big fan of MOO) with RTS style, secondly because I want to support developers who take a stance against restrictive copy protections (what allows me to play the game on my subnotebook and switch the dvd drive for a second battery) and third because its incredible value for money - after all you get a great game with hours over hours of gameplay for under 30 Euros!

And I did not even know that I could multiplay locally with just one copy. I'm used to the fact that you need one game per system even in LAN and you bet I don't buy games twice so I can play with my father from time to time. Now I just need to get him fom COH to Sins.

Quick question: I purchased Sins at the store so I installed using a CD rather than downloading it. Do I need to be using SDCentral? I am having a great deal of difficulty patching my game. Is this because I am not using the SDCentral?

Also, whenever I try using the program, it keeps telling me that my serial # is incorrect for some odd reason. Can I use that program only if I purchased the game via digital download?

You should be able to use the standalone patch to update the game without SDC.

And you can use SDC with a store bought copy just fine (I do). Did you put the serial number that you received in the box into the proper place in SDC? Choose Tools - Register Products, make sure "My Games" is highlighted on the left, then pick Sins and enter the Serial, then click the Register button.

For good measure, once that's done and you're back at the main SDC screen where it lists your games, I'd right-click on your Sins entry and select "Activate Application (w/logging)".

-HM

The good thing about SDC is that even if you loose / damage the sins retail disk, you can still download the game at any time. The ultimate in backup protection, IMO!

Does that actually involve a redownload of up-to-date installers? I ask because my download was already 1.03.something - I find that very comfy because I don't need to patch anything. So if there is 1.04 or 1.10 later, could I just redownload the whole thing as an up-to-date package and backup it?

Yep. The download off SDC is automatically the latest version.